13 things that are sure to make you feel crap about your body…
By Sarah McMahon
- Compare yourself with others, and focus on their “good bits”
Engage in “body checking” behaviour, such as weighing yourself regularly and gazing in mirrors or indeed any reflective surface you pass by; pull out your “skinny jeans” every time you might have put on weight- Surround yourself with celebrity culture and advertising campaigns that perpetuate the “thin ideal”, the message that thin & attractive people are the winners in life who live happily ever after (& people who aren’t thin & pretty have a miserable existence & rot in hell)
- Go on a diet; and be sure to blame yourself when it doesn’t work
- Construct a belief system that some foods are “good” and others are “bad” based on arbitrary rules such as energy, fat or sugar content. Completely ignore how food tastes or whether it is satisfying to you
- Subscribe to thinspiration, fitspo, pro ana & pro mia websites on every social media platform you engage with
- Constantly ask people “am I fat” or “have I put on weight”- indeed, engage in reassurance seeking like this at any opportunity
- Chose a partner who wants you to lose weight and surround yourself with people and places that incite thinness. Chose a gym or personal training program where staff are paid more if you lose weight
- Get lost in fanciful thinking- “if only I was thinner/ taller/ younger than…”
- Abuse your relationship with excercise by either doing it excessively or avoiding it entirely. Ignore injuries, safety or whether you actually enjoy it
- Count calories
- Wear clothes that are far too big or small
- Engage in “fat talk” and “diet talk” whenever the opportunity arises
